Meth Expert Tells Group 'Addicts Can Get Better'

U.S. Attorney Sponsors Drug Seminar at A&M Featuring Project in Kansas

For all the bad news about methamphetamine, there are some encouraging
words for addicts.

"If you give them the time they need - and that's a lot more than two
weeks or 30 days - meth addicts can get better if they have access to
the proper resources," Laurie Harrison of the Kansas Methamphetamine
Prevention Project told a seminar here Thursday.

Kansas has ranked in the top five states for meth lab seizures in
recent years. Between 1997 and 2002, the state saw an 81 percent
increase in residents seeking treatment for meth addiction.

For Alabama residents, meth is the fastest growing drug problem.
That's why U.S. Attorney Alice Martin, who prosecutes federal crimes
in North Alabama, and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration
sponsored a two-day seminar for law enforcement and others at Alabama
A&M University. Meth addiction treatment issues were just one
component of Thursday's training that included a presentation by
Harrison and colleague Cristi Cain. Their organization started in 2001
as a countywide effort in Topeka. Within a year, it became a
statewide, federally funded project designed to get communities
involved in curtailing the sale and theft of ingredients used to make
meth. In June, the national Meth Watch program was launched by The
Consumer Healthcare Products Association, based on the Kansas program.
Harrison and Cain are now traveling the country to share information
on the latest research about meth and related issues.

How addictive is meth? "Ten percent of people who try alcohol become
addicted, compared to 98 percent of people who try meth ...," said
Harrison, quoting Thomas Hall, coordinator of the Addiction Counseling
Program at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Nationwide, she said research shows there is only a 3 to 7 percent
success rate for those who try to stop using meth.

On average, she said, it takes six to 18 months, sometimes longer, for
the brain to recover. During that time, the cravings for the drug
continue. There is no medication to treat meth addiction Successful
treatment programs report using the intensive planning of activities
for every hour of the day to help keep the addict's mind off meth. One
recent study indicates that immediately when someone stops using meth,
mood disorders like anxiety and depression appear. "Treatments need to
include treating the mood disorders as well as the drug cravings,"
Harrison said. It's a long process, said Harrison. It's unlike any
other drug addiction treatment. One treatment counselor with more than
20 years experience recently told her that "you have to plan for the
relapses. If there are not at least three relapses within a year, it's
abnormal."

A big part of treatment is discovering what triggers the addict's
relapses, which can be as simple as seeing a store where the addict
bought ingredients to make meth.

Research from the University of Iowa suggests people who use or are
addicted to meth don't necessarily need special treatment. Rather,
they need more time in intensive outpatient or residential drug
treatment. "Right now, the money does not exist to put into treatment
programs," said Cristi Cain.

There are a few meth-specific treatment programs in the United States,
but not many. A complete list of Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Improvement Protocols can be downloaded from www.treatment.org, after
clicking on the "Documents" link. It can also be ordered for free by
calling 1-800-729-6686